All PA Voting Machines Must Have Paper Trail By 2020 Election

Every Pennsylvania county must have voting machines that produce a paper record by the end of 2019, Acting Secretary of State Robert Torres announced Thursday. That means by the 2020 presidential election, all of the state's voting machines will have a verifiable paper trail.

To accomplish this, Pennsylvania will receive nearly $14 million in federal funding, authorities said.

“We have been planning for some time to bring Pennsylvania’s voting machines up to 21st-century standards of security, auditability and resiliency,” Torres said. “The federal assistance could not come at a more opportune moment.”

The money will come from Congress’ recent appropriation of $380 million for election security. The funding, being distributed under provisions of the Help America Vote Act of 2002, requires a 5 percent state match.

Currently, about 83 percent of voters in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania cast their ballots on electronic voting machines that record the choices directly onto computer memory and produce no paper record, according to Verified Voting, a nonprofit that tracks voting equipment. "Because no paper record of the voters’ choices exist, there is no way to double check if those machines correctly captured voter intent," Verified Voting said after the special election last month in Pennsylvania's 18th District.

A March report by the Philadelphia Inquirer stated 50 out of Pennsylvania's 67 counties use voting machines with no paper trail. Further, that report said, in the 2016 presidential election, voting machines failures were logged in at least 30 machines in Lebanon, Cumberland, Perry, and Butler counties.

State leaders say that needs to change.

“We want to bring about the system upgrades so Pennsylvania voters are voting on the most secure and auditable equipment as promptly and feasibly as possible, while also being supportive of the counties’ need to plan and budget for the new systems,” Torres said.

To kick off public education about new voting systems on the market, the state will hold a vendor demonstration April 26 at the Farm Show complex. The event will provide an opportunity for county and state officials, legislators, the media, and the public to explore the features and options offered by the new machines.

Counties will be able to choose from among any of the voting systems examined and certified after January 1, 2018, by both the federal Election Assistance Commission and the Secretary of the Commonwealth. To date, one system has been certified, and several others will follow in the summer and fall of 2018, the announcement from the Department of State said.

"The department will provide extensive support and guidance to the county Boards of Election and voters to ensure a smooth transition to the new systems," the Department of State said in its announcement Thursday.

In the meantime, Pennsylvania officials said the state will utilize "extensive measures" to ward off any threats to voting security and infrastructure, including comprehensive monitoring and assessment of risk, fortification of physical and cyber security, training and resources to counties and partners, and increasing communications at all levels.

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